It’s easy to assume that earning more will solve your financial stress—but what if the real problem isn’t income, but habits? In this episode of Financially Confident Christian, Ralph explores the subtle trap of lifestyle creep, where higher income leads to higher expenses without any lasting progress. If you’ve ever wondered why your raise didn’t translate into more savings, peace, or margin, this conversation will hit home. Ralph breaks down the emotional, spiritual, and practical dynamics behind the pattern of more money more spending.
Check out the full podcast episode here
You’ll hear how to spot lifestyle creep in your own life, how to set firm financial goals before your next raise, and why intentionality matters more than income when it comes to stewardship. Ralph also shares one key mindset shift to help you resist cultural pressure and build a life aligned with your values. If you’ve been earning more but feeling stuck—or if you’re just getting started and want to build healthy habits early—this episode will help you slow the creep and refocus on what truly matters.
Chapters:
- 00:12 - Breaking the Cycle of Spending
- 01:24 - Understanding Lifestyle Creep
- 05:19 - Understanding Lifestyle Creep and Financial Intentionality
- 06:24 - Combating Lifestyle Creep
- 11:36 - Financial Guidance and Next Steps
Takeaways:
- We often think more income equals more wealth, but lifestyle creep begs to differ.
- Lifestyle creep is that sneaky little devil making our spending rise with income increases.
- The key to fighting lifestyle creep is being intentional with every single dollar we earn.
- Contentment is crucial; we need to focus on what truly matters, not just more stuff.
- If you're not careful, your extra cash might vanish into thin air thanks to lifestyle creep.
- Plan ahead for any income increases to ensure you're building wealth instead of just spending.
Links referenced:
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Episode Transcript
You got a raise or maybe your businessis booming and that's awesome, but then
a few months later you look around andyou realize you don't feel any wealthier.
Where did that newfound money even go?
What if I asked you if earning moremoney is just leading to more spending
and secretly stealing your progress?
Well stick with me today 'causewe're getting into it exactly how
(00:22):
to stop that cycle on today's show.
Hey there.
Welcome back to your Daily,financially Confident Christian.
(00:43):
I'm Ralph and it's generallygreat to be with you again today.
This is the show that helps you answerthat question, how can I become a
financially confident Christian?
And we're continuing our series todaydealing with that stress of money worries.
And we all know what that stress can feellike when we're always focused on money.
Now, yesterday we tackled the uniquechallenge of managing when you have
(01:05):
unpredictable income and how tobring some stability to those, what
I called feast or famine cycles.
I'm gonna encourage you to gocheck it out if you missed it.
Today we're gonna talk about aphenomenon that affects almost everyone.
And that doesn't matter what your incomelevel is, it's regardless of your income
level, especially as your income growsand it's what I call lifestyle creep.
(01:26):
And it's not a creepthat you wanna be around.
So let's ask today, is more money justleading to more spending that's lifestyle
creep, and is it happening in my life?
Maybe you've experienced this firsthand,you get a better job, or maybe you
get a raise or perhaps your businessstarts to really make more money.
(01:47):
You feel this immediate sense of reliefeven you might feel a little flushed.
Uh, we talked about thatfeeling yesterday on the show.
When you have, you have one of thosegreat months perhaps, but then slowly and
sometimes without you even noticing it.
Your expenses just start to increase everso slightly, and they tend to do that
right along with your income for you.
(02:08):
Maybe you upgrade your car or maybelike me, you eat out a little more
often, or maybe you decide I'mgonna subscribe to a new service.
Or maybe you think about thatslightly pricier vacation.
And when you look at itoverall individually, these
changes might seem small.
They're just this, and this littlepiece here and this little piece there.
(02:28):
But when you add them all up, theydo add up to something bigger.
And the struggle is that realizationthat despite earning significantly
more, you know you got that raise.
You had a good month here,your business is booming and
it's more than you're used to.
But here's the problem.
You are not saving anymore.
You're not paying off debt any faster.
(02:50):
And the big takeaway from today is youdon't feel any more financially secure.
All that extra income is just beingconsumed by an inflated lifestyle and
that lack of progress, that feelingof being on a financial treadmill, and
even if that treadmill is going at ahigher speed, trust me, I've been there.
(03:13):
It's incredibly frustratingand it is incredibly stressful.
But here's the thing Iwant you to understand.
Today, you're missing outon the opportunity to build
real wealth and freedom.
Here's the thing.
You gotta understand Lifestyle creepsneaks in and it happens passively.
(03:33):
It's what happens when youdon't actively decide where that
increased income is gonna go.
You don't have a plan for it, so it justgets absorbed by that increased spending.
Now I'm gonna be very candid with you.
Oftentimes I think it's driven by societalpressure and comparing ourselves to
others and comparing ourselves to thosepeople we see on social media or the,
(03:54):
or those neighbors that we see that, oh,they've got the new car, or, Hey, you
just got back from a beautiful vacation.
In a lot of cases, it's simplya lack of intentionality.
I talk about that onthis show all the time.
Many times, our financial mis cumings,for lack of a better term, are
just a lack of intentionality, andthe Bible speaks directly to this.
(04:17):
It offers what I'll calla counter-cultural wisdom.
Let's look at the book ofHebrews chapter 13, verse five,
and it speaks directly to this.
It says, keep your livesfree from the love of money.
Be content.
I love that word because that'sthe thing we need to focus on and
be content with what you have.
(04:38):
And then we look at Luke chapter12, verse 15, and it warns us this.
And it starts out witha very bold warning.
It says, watch out, be on yourguard against all kinds of greed.
And then it ends with thispurely beautiful scripture that
we all could apply to our life.
Life does not consist inabundance of possessions.
(04:59):
I'll tell you what, I could hear thattoday, and I need to learn that myself.
Life does not consist in anabundance of possessions.
I think we've all bought into thislifestyle creep, this culture that,
that, that we think that if we getmore stuff, we have this abundance of
possessions that that's truly life.
(05:19):
And see, combating lifestylecreep requires intentionality.
It's something you gotta beintentional with and it's
actively choosing contentment.
We talked about that in that firstBible verse, the love of money
and be content with what you have.
See, we've gotta activelychoose contentment over that
constant, state of upgrading.
And in the end, this is ahugely wise act of stewardship.
(05:42):
And it's our decision to direct ourresources to what truly matters.
And that's the, that's thebig takeaway from today.
What truly matters, your financial goals,your giving, and that future security,
rather than just letting it be eatenby unconscious spending, increases
driven by a desire and, and I hate tosay this, a desire for just more stuff.
(06:05):
And in the end, it's reallyaligning your spending with your
values and with God's priorities.
not just allowing your lifestyle toexpand to fill in that new income.
So now you're probably askingRalph, great, what can we do?
How do we stop this lifestyle creepfrom robbing us of our financial
progress and our financial peace?
And I've got a solution today.
(06:26):
It comes down to intentionalityand being proactive.
You gotta decide exactly whereany increase in income is going
to go, and then allocate that tospecific financial goals before
you get used to spending the money.
In the end, it means that you become theboss of your money, especially new money,
and you're telling it where to work foryou instead of just letting it disappear
(06:49):
into that abyss of increased spending.
So here's your one vital action stepfor day, and this is specifically laser
focused on combating that lifestyle creep.
I want you to start by identifying anyrecent or expected income increases.
Think about raises that you've gotten,or maybe you've got a bonus coming up,
or you've got a big raise coming up, ormaybe your business is growing and and
(07:12):
you're seeing it, you're gonna have some.
Additional income.
So be prepared for that,be understanding of that.
Then I want you to decidewhere it's gonna go.
I want, this is a step of being proactive.
Before that extra money even hitsyour, your checking account, or, or
as soon as it does, you gotta decideexactly what percentage or what
(07:32):
amount's gonna go towards those specificfinancial goals that you've created.
Maybe this is based on youroverall financial plan.
Maybe you want to think aboutaccelerating that debt payoff,
or maybe you need to really workon growing that emergency fund.
Maybe you've got that, what we callthat starter, that baby emergency
fund, but, but this is a greatopportunity to really expand it.
(07:52):
Maybe this is a great opportunityto expand your savings goals.
Or, here's one, how about increasingyour giving, but you've gotta make a
concrete plan for that extra income.
Now, you might be saying tome, Ralph, hey, guess what?
Spending has already crept up for me.
And if you've already had that incomeincrease, but you feel like your spending
(08:12):
has just inflated over time, one ofthe things that you can do to stop
it right now is go back and look atyour tracking data and identify maybe
one, two, or three areas where you'veseen those expenses subtly increase.
And maybe it did it without youmaking this conscious decision
just kind of happen over time.
Now, some of that's inflation, butsome of it's just, you know, I allowed
(08:33):
that lifestyle creep to happen.
I'm gonna encourage you to reduceyour budget, reduce your spending
in those areas, and reallocate backto those goals that you've set.
And then last but notleast, just plan ahead.
I want you to make a commitment thatfor any future increases income,
that you'll have a plan for thatmoney before you even receive it.
(08:53):
For example, maybe you say, Hey, 80%of any raise goes to debt payoff, and
then yes, I'll blow 20% of it for fun.
But you're being intentional withthat from day one and see this
single action, it directly fightsthat struggle of earning more but
not feeling financially ahead.
I hear that from so many people, and itensures that increased income actually
(09:15):
translates into accelerated progresstowards your debt freedom or your savings
goals, or your overall financial piece.
I love this part.
It really replaces that passive spendingwith intentional allocation, where
you're aligning your money with yourdeepest values and your priorities,
and truly being a wise steward.
(09:36):
Let's pray together now.
Father God, thank you for the incomeand the resources that you provide.
We confess that as our incomeincreases, we often fall prey to
that 'lifestyle creep.' We allowour spending to rise unconsciously.
So we ask that you would grant us wisdom,Lord, and and mostly grant us self-control
(09:56):
to recognize this pattern and to resistthat pattern and help us to be intentional
stewards of every dollar, especiallywhen we see increases that you've
given us, Lord, directing it towardsyour purposes and our financial goals.
We ask that you would cultivate in usa spirit of contentment and protect
us from that love of money that you soeloquently warn us against, and that
(10:20):
pressure to constantly consume more.
Lord, guide us in using our resourcesfor lasting peace and lasting impact.
And we ask this in confidence.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Listen.
Be intentional with everydollar that you earn.
Don't let that lifestyle creep.
Steal your progress towards thatfinancial freedom and that financial
(10:42):
piece that you're working so hardto get to make a plan for any
increased income before you spend it.
You're choosing progressoverpass consumption.
If identifying and fighting lifestylecreep feels like a challenge that
you need to address, maybe you knowsomebody else that does as well.
And I'm gonna encourage you to share thisepisode with them 'cause it may help them.
(11:03):
You can find resources and connectwith the show at our website that's at
financially confident christian.com.
And while you're there, I've got aspecial gift for you on the journey.
For the first 100 listenerswho go to financially confident
christian.com/master, I'm gonnagive you a free copy of my book.
It's called Mastering Your Finances.
Now, this is a quick, powerful read,designed as a starting point to help
(11:26):
you break that cycle of financialshame and step into confidence.
Again, go to financiallyconfident christian.com/master
and get your free copy today.
Now, tomorrow we're gonna be talkingabout one of the biggest financial
decisions that many people face.
That's deciding if a home isthe right financial move for you
(11:46):
and how to assess affordability.
That's a episode you don't want to miss.
So make sure you join me and let's all goout there and be financially confident.
Christians, you can do this.
I have confidence in you.
Have confidence in yourself.
Stay financially savvy.
God bless you, and youhave a great day today.
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